CWUNews FeedNews Feedhttps://www.cwu.edu/president/newsen-usCWU President Gaudino releases statement on harassment, discriminationhttps://www.cwu.edu/president/node/664Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:58:52<p>Dear CWU Students, Employees, Alumni and Friends,&nbsp;</p><p>Cultural changes are appropriately raising questions about how we work, how we communicate, and what it means to be accountable for our behaviors. One issue that is increasingly in the news is sexual harassment and assault. Victims are bravely describing the inappropriate and potentially criminal behaviors of prominent figures in sports, politics, and entertainment.&nbsp;</p><p>As is in the case with most rapid changes in culture, it will take our political and justice systems time to codify what we all know are inappropriate behaviors and to establish just responses to violations.&nbsp;</p><p>We don’t have to wait because CWU’s values remain unchanged.&nbsp;</p><p>We have and will continue to insist on learning, working, and living environments that support the success of our students and our employees. We will continue to demand respect for all people. We will require workplace, living, and learning climates in which employees and students feel physically, intellectually, and emotionally secure.&nbsp;</p><p>CWU will not tolerate any form of harassment, including sexual harassment, on our residential campus, at our University Centers and instructional sites, or in the communities that we serve. Federal law and our own policies, codes, and labor agreements prohibit harassment and discrimination.&nbsp;</p><p>When CWU receives a complaint alleging harassment, including those of a sexual nature, our Human Resources staff ensures that it is investigated promptly, confidentially, objectively, and thoroughly. Anyone found responsible for discriminatory or harassing behavior is subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including termination.&nbsp;</p><p>Sexual harassment has become the current focus of the media spotlight. However, even after this issue fades from that limelight, the safety of our students and employees and the quality of the education environment we provide will continue to be our paramount duty.&nbsp;</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p><img alt="" src="/president/sites/cts.cwu.edu.president/files/images/president-signature.PNG" style="width: 159px; height: 68px;"></p><p>James L. Gaudino</p>DACA Statement from President Gaudinohttps://www.cwu.edu/president/node/662Tue, 05 Sep 2017 17:00:42<p>The decision by President Trump to terminate the popular Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program is a profound disappointment. But I am committed to stand up for our students, who are among the 800,000 nationwide registered under DACA. These young men and women are some of the finest and most resilient students at our colleges and universities, often exhibiting unique character forged by the fire of adversity.<br><br>We have seen the enormous benefits of DACA for our students and the highly positive impact they have had on our institutions and communities. The state of Washington has an estimated 17,000 students benefiting from DACA and they are important contributors to our campuses and our communities.<br><br>Eliminating this program will have a negative impact on our economy; the conservative CATO Institute recently estimated that repealing DACA would result in a $260 billion reduction in economic growth over the next decade. Worse, it will have an equally disruptive effect on the lives of these young people, who have proven themselves to be hard-working and law-abiding.<br><br>The state of Washington and CWU have adopted several policies that protect students fearful of being deported. State law allows state residents to attend public colleges and universities at resident rates and to receive state financial aid regardless of citizenship status.<br><br>CWU police work for me, not for federal immigration officers. Enforcing federal immigration law is the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies, not CWU police. Additionally, CWU campus police do not question people about their immigration status and do not detain or arrest undocumented persons just because they are undocumented.<br><br>Our campus does not volunteer information about student enrollees and does not disclose protected information from their student education records, except as required in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or court order.<br><br>The dreamers are, as President Barack Obama has written and as our trustees and I have affirmed, “Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper.” And I, for one, believe they should have an opportunity to stay and have a path to citizenship.<br><br>I strongly urge Congress and the President to quickly pass legislation to do just that. The DACA program has provided these young people, most of whom have spent nearly their entire lives in this country, with hope and a chance to achieve a better life. It is only right and just that we permit these young people to continue to be allowed to positively contribute to our communities and to our country.</p><p>James L. Gaudino<br>President<br>Central Washington University</p><p>&nbsp;</p></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br>CWU President Gaudino Joins Other Washington University Presidents to Condemn Decision to End DACAhttps://www.cwu.edu/president/node/661Tue, 05 Sep 2017 12:49:15<p>&nbsp;</p><p><img alt="" src="/president/sites/cts.cwu.edu.president/files/CWU%20Medallion.jpg" style="width: 180px; height: 180px; margin: 3px; float: right;">Central Washington University President James L. Gaudino today joined the presidents of Washington’s five other public universities in protesting President Donald Trump’s decision to repeal the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months.</p><p>“Today’s announcement leaves us with profound disappointment and pained yet unequivocal resolve to stand up for our students who are among the 800,000 nationwide registered under DACA,” Gaudino said in a <a href="https://www.cwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/news-joint-DACA-statement.pdf">statement</a> signed by the presidents of the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Western Washington University, Eastern Washington University, and Evergreen State University, known collectively as the Council of Presidents.</p><p>“These young men and women are some of the finest and most resilient students at our colleges and universities, often exhibiting unique character forged by the fire of adversity,” the statement continued. “These students and those that came before them are not strangers on our campuses, in our communities, and in our homes. They are our sons and daughters, our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends and our family. They are us.”</p><p>President Gaudino called the president’s decision “regrettable” and urged Congress to quickly pass legislation that would reinstate the program.</p><p>“The young men and women affected by this decision include some of our best and brightest students,” he said. “They deserve to be allowed to pursue their dreams.”</p><p>The Council of Presidents’ statement, which was also signed by the presidents of 34 community and technical colleges, 10 members of the Independent Colleges of Washington, and 10 members of the Washington State Achievement Council, noted that DACA graduates play an important role in helping the state of Washington meet its critical needs for those with degrees in high-demand fields including science, business, technology, and medicine.</p><p>“They embody the initiative and resolve that has made the United States of America the most prosperous and innovative country in the world,” according to the statement. This lamentable decision to end DACA threatens to rob us of hundreds of thousands of gifted, hardworking, and dedicated young people who are American in every way but their immigration status.”</p><p>Under DACA, implemented by former President Barack Obama in 2012, people who came to the US undocumented as children could obtain two-year work permits, which could be renewed, and avoid deportation.</p><p>The Trump administration will end the DACA program in six months and indicated that should provide Congress enough time to come up with a legislative solution.</p><p>Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who made the announcement, said the program was unconstitutional. He said the government will immediately stop processing new applications but will wait six months before it ceases to process renewing permits for people already covered by the program.</p><p>Media contact: Richard Moreno, Central Washington University Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.</p>CWU Mourns Deaths in Oregonhttps://www.cwu.edu/president/node/649Fri, 02 Oct 2015 16:51:47<p>"We're grieving the senseless loss of life yesterday [Thursday, Oct. 1] at Umpqua Community College&nbsp; We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the entire campus community there, and everyone who has been touched by this tragedy. We’re mourning with them.” — CWU President James L. Gaudino</p>